Almeria vs Levante preview - Martinez seeks survival boost
Posted Saturday, April 04, 2015 by PA
Almeria coach Juan Ignacio Martinez believes a victory against his former club and fellow strugglers Levante would give his side "the oxygen we need to survive".
The two sides are level on points in the league table, with Almeria in 18th and Levante one place above them, outside the relegation zone.
"After Levante there will still be a long way to go but you can't deny that this is a game that would give us the oxygen we need to survive," Martinez told a press conference.
"There is more than three points to play for due to the goal difference, the morale boost a win would give us and the fact that there is such little margin for error in the final stretch of the season.
"We can't have any doubts during the game, no ifs, no buts, we have to be very clear about what we have to do. With our fans behind us and by knowing what's at stake we can't look any other way: we have to go on the attack."
Martinez took charge of Levante between 2011 and 2013, successfully securing survival in both seasons and even taking the club into the Europa League for the first time in their history, so he is well aware of what he can expect of Lucas Alcaraz's men.
"They live on organisation and can cause you damage on the counter-attack, and I'm sure they're going to try and take advantage of any small error we commit so we'll have to concentrate fully throughout the 90 minutes," he added.
Martinez will be without defender Michel Macedo through injury, while Fran Velez and Thomas Partey are both suspended.
Levante defender Ivan Ramis is suspended but Alcaraz has been boosted by the return of veteran defender Juanfran.
The Levante boss admitted a win at Almeria would give his side a big advantage in their fight against the drop, but also stressed it would not be enough on its own.
"The three points are very important against opponents who are going to fight as hard as us, but even if we win in Almeria there will still be plenty more points to play for," he told a press conference.
"Winning a game takes you closer psychologically to your objective, but it's not over until the fat lady sings."
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